This application relates generally to a method for protecting, recovering and deleting digital data, and in particular to a method of providing easily-accessible, versioned, secure, redundant backup of digital information using a customizable system to access, control, delete and otherwise manage digital data across a variety of digital data platforms.
The advent of digital storage has been a boon to numerous fields of endeavor. The ability to quickly generate, store, and replicate digital data has permitted users significant freedom and flexibility in maintaining information. However, with these new-found abilities has come certain risks and difficulties.
For example, users often store various digital files on different computers and in different folders on any given computer. This often creates a situation where the user is unable to locate a digital file, because it is stored on a different computer or storage device, or in a different file folder. Also, if the file has been modified, the user may have difficulty with version control, that is, with knowing which is the most recent version, and which is an earlier version.
Users also desire secure access to their various digital files. Data stored on a computer may be lost or stolen along with the computer. However, lack of redundant, secure data storage is only part of the problem. Users have also needed the ability to digitally destroy files on the lost or stolen computer. This may also be a potential issue with other digital devices, such as cell phones and PDAs and mp3 players.
In other prior systems, a user was permitted to make certain dynamic changes to protected content while offline. However, such a system was typically designed for scheduled backups or would only capture and back up changes that occur while online at a scheduled time. Therefore, developing a relatively comprehensive data storage system having flexibility of design and use would be advantageous. Prior systems also did not typically enable cell phones and PDAs and other such devices.